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On Nov. 5, about 300 people attended the Top of Mind awards ceremony of the Composites Industry, in São Paulo, Brazil. Organized by the Latin American Composite Materials Assn. (ALMACO), the third edition of the awards program recognized 18 innovators in 21 categories.

New this year was a category for Epoxy Resin. In Latin America, epoxy has come to the fore primarily thorugh its use in wind turbine blades. Gilmar Lima, president of ALMACO, noted during preparations for the award ceremony that the increased demand for composites by the Brazilian wind power industry led to the decision to include an Epoxy Resin category. Wind energy develoment is credited with a large surge in composites use in the awards ceremony's host country. “It is a rapidly growing market, such that new companies are settling down in Brazil," said Lima. ALMACO reports that in 2011, the wind energy segment consumed 44,700 metric tonnes (nearly 98.6 million lb) of composites, which resulted in total revenue generation of $315 million (USD).

Award recipients included raw materials manufacturers, materials distributors and composite component molders. As in the two previous years, the survey and counting of the votes were conducted by Destaque Business Research. “The independent auditing ensures the fairness of the entire process, which grants full credibility to the award," said Erika Bernardino, marketing manager of ALMACO., noting that votes cast in selectiong wineers in each category reached a record number of 2,210.

See below the nominees and (in bold) winners of the Top of Mind of the Composites Industry 2012.

The event also served as the stage for the launch of two publications, Perfil do Setor Brasileiro de Materiais Compósitos and Compósitos 4 – Moldes, both published by ALMACO.